The present invention relates generally to skid-steer loaders and, more particularly, to a speed shifter linkage for simultaneously shifting speeds of independently mounted paired hydraulic motors.
The independent mounting of two hydrostatic motors to drive the ground wheels on both sides of a skid-steer loader creates problems in the shifting of the two motors from one speed to another, as compared to the rigid back-to-back mounting of prior art skid-steer loaders. The independent mounting of the hydrostatic motors increases variations in the mounting positions due to the flexing of the motor mounting bases, thereby creating problems in designing a single lever linkage to shift both motors simultaneously. Accordingly, it is desirable to create a single lever linkage to affect a simultaneous shifting of paired, independently mounted hydrostatic motors between high and low operating speeds.